Thursday, June 26, 2008

raising a glass

Not a picture from the night in question, but it's recent.

If I start blabbing about why I haven't written in the last four months, I'll never get to spearing this moment I want to remember and share.

Last night, we sat down to a family dinner. We don't have this routine figured out yet; sometimes we can't get our act together fast enough for his appetite and so he eats dinner while we are cooking our own. Sometimes we give up and go out to dinner. But yesterday we did have our act together and so we all snugged to the table to share a simple meal of black bean and roasted red pepper quesadillas and a strawberry, avocado, pine nut salad, whose garnishes had been Miguel's appetizer.

"Chrs," proclaimed Miguel as we started to eat. We nodded pleasantly, but confused in his direction.

"Chrs!" he insisted, grabbing his Kermit water cup.

"Oh, cheers!" we finally comprehended. We hoisted our cups in his direction, laughing and looking at each other in amazement. We had clinked classes with him once before, a few days earlier. While he's surely witnessed this ritual so many times, it was still surprising to see him remember, and to notice our lapse in adhering to it.

As with most of his cherished activities, he responded with, "Again! Again!" and we obliged once more, but then had to explain that it's really just a beginning of the meal kind of thing unless you are at a wedding or retirement party.

Cheers to you, Miguel. I am so thrilled to watch and hear your mind grow. Whether you are grasping the concept of "another" ("Another bus! Two buses!!!" you exclaim with the joy, perhaps, of someone who spent his first summer waiting for the #82 with a twitchy, bike-dependent mother) or learning your letters, (ABCDEFGZZZZZZZZZZ), you deepen my curiosity about and appreciation for language and learning.

Valderie, Valdera

Hiking in Ecuador--Dec, 2008

Hello Velo

Miguel raced into our hearts and days with shocking speed. So while it might seem a bit early to prefix him with cycling lingo, he will always be our Velo Baby!

This blog is for him, for me, for our family and friends, and--perhaps--for others interested in open adoption, living car(e)free in Chicago, brown thumb gardening, and any other musings I can squeeze into my shrinking chunks of free time.